The Guardian | Tom McCarthy: Touting �a very strong personal relation� with Donald Trump, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday began an ambitious charm offensive intended to strengthen US commitments in Syria and�Iran�while heading off threats of a transatlantic trade war.

Prior to his departure for an official state visit to Washington, Macron likened himself to Trump in an interview with Fox News Sunday, a venue with a wide following among Trump supporters and likely to be watched by the president himself.

�Both of us are probably the maverick of the systems on both sides,� Macron said. �I think President Trump�s election was unexpected in your country and probably my election was unexpected in my country. And we are not part of the classical political system.�

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